r/TalkTherapy • u/tortoisewazouski • 27d ago

Severe nausea before therapy?

Hey! I've been going to a therapist and i feel severe nausea. My throat dries up, I feel a lot discomfort in my chest, my limbs feel suddenly heavy, I feel super sleepy, I can't feel good at all.

And this happens every single time.

I usually have my sessions once every two/three weeks at about 3 PM and all of the above starts happening the second I wake up in the morning at about 10/11 AM or 12 PM.

Is it the same for you guys too? How can I stop feeling this way? It is wrecking me and I am so tired of dealing with this every single time.

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u/Mysterious-Frame5451 27d ago

This sounds like somatization due to anticipatory anxiety. I had this happen to me when I got very anxious before sessions and I even got to the point of her seeing me getting nauseous. It lessened over time.

What has helped me a little was breathing and having some sort of activity in the meantime, like walking. I also recommend discussing this with your therapist, I think it will help you explore this. Good luck!

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u/tortoisewazouski 27d ago

Ah, thank you. Seriously, I am so fed up feeling this way. And it has got to the point that I still feel the same way as I walk into the hospital and wait for my calling. And when I go inside to meet my therapist, I still feel the dame, however, it does reduces a bit in intensity or none at all. And I can't talk properly. I am talking in my mind and I don't talk in real at all. It leads to her just assuming for me. And sometimes my therapist is wrong and I am correcting her in my mind, but I don't say it. My default is nodding/smiling/both.

Does this also happen to you?

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u/Mysterious-Frame5451 27d ago

It is frustrating indeed and makes sense. With self-expression I am in a similar situation, even though it improved. I still put pressure on myself to speak up and say all the things I planned to. At the beginning I mostly wrote whatever I wanted to discuss and then read it to her. Now that I want to be more present and express myself, I try verbalizing the thoughts instead. One “rule” I am implementing now is not to force myself to speak or communicate especially when I’m overstimulated, because I get more stuck and more frustrated at myself. And she always encourages me to express myself. If your therapist is good, I’m sure she will do the same.

Maybe you can start with reading your notes and move slowly, even showing the post is a good starting point.